Rescue
by PrincessSkywalkerOrgana
Summary: Luke is taken prisoner...again by the Imperials. As Leia, Han, Lando, and Chewie race to rescue him a love from his past NOT CALLISTA, but the daughter of ObiWan gets there first. The story of a rescue and reunion.
1. Default Chapter

"Where is Luke." Leia asked Han from the corner of her mouth, "He should've been here three whole hours ago." 

            "He just got caught up in some Jedi thing." Han said, shrugging, trying to hide his own concern. The Kid would never miss something so important. _He just got a little late, and then it got amplified 'cause of the flying. You know how Coruscant ground control gets when some event is on the planet._

            "I just have a bad feeling, I guess." Leia said. She also tried to shrug it off. She surreptitiously straightened her long white and gold gown and smoothed her long brown hair that she had intricately woven around her head. "But you are probably right and it is nothing." Her lips tightened as she saw her seven-year old daughter try to pull off the ribbons in her hair. She went as fast as she gracefully could to her daughter. "Jaina, no." She commanded. "Don't make me tell Threepio to keep an eye on you."

            Jaina scowled. "Ugly ribbons."

            "Be that as it may." Leia did not have time to discuss this; the ambassadors would be expecting an official welcome momentarily. "Right now is not the time."

            Leia smiled beatifically and lifted her hands. All chatter stopped. "I would like to welcome the Ambassadors from the Senex on behalf of all the worlds of the Republic. May our negotiations be fruitful. May wonderful friendships result from this meeting." Leia began, and then she ended with. "Please, enjoy yourself everyone."

            The applause was resounding. "You outdid yourself that time, your worship." Han whispered when Leia reached him.

            "Thanks." But what she was really thinking was, _where is Luke._ A deep fear had begun to gnaw at her heart. She had tried to Force call to him but she had gotten nothing in response. She knew he was alive, she knew that she would've felt something if he wasn't, but that wasn't much of a consolation. Something told her that he was in grave danger.

            She did not know what she would do if something happened to Luke. He was her best friend. She counted on him more then she had yet admitted aloud. Just then her fears were confirmed when a junior Lt came running in. She curtsied deeply. "Madame Chief of State." Junior Lt. Calinda said, practically whispering. "May I have a private audience."

            Leia could feel the nervousness pouring off of her. But then Junior Lt. Calinda was new, and to have to give a message to the Chief of State when you are new can be intimidating. "Of course." Leia excused herself to the ambassador and followed the Junior Lt. to an adjoining room. 

            "I have the Warlord Semi on the line. He says that he needs to talk to you now."

            Warlord Semi was the new supreme commander of the Imperial fleet. Leia unconsciously tossed her head imperiously. "Put him on."

             "Right away." Calinda said fiddling with the buttons.

            "I am very busy." Leia said to Semi once the connection was established and she could see into his eyes. "Quickly."

            "What I have to say could be very quick." Semi said, his ceremonial whites twinkling under the lights of what she presumed was his command ship, the Aleanid. 

            "Give us back the power you usurped."

            Leia sighed deeply. "And here I thought you were calling to arrange your surrender. But I guess it is hard to accept defeat."

            "We were not defeated, Highness, not by a long shot. Look at who I have with me." Semi said to her, then he addressed his lackeys. "Bring the prisoner."

            The feeling of terror intensified in the pit of her stomach as they brought out enhanced torture equipment. "Turn it around so her Highness can have a good view of our prisoner."

            As the stormtroopers turned the 'chair' around Leia saw Luke bound to it. She gasped. "Yes, your Highness." Semi said basking in his moment of glory. "Your Brother. Turn over your government to us or he dies."

            Leia grabbed a nearby table, her knuckles turning white. "I won't sacrifice a million lives for one no matter how much that one life means to me." She said, avoiding making eye contact with Luke.

            "Oh, I think you will change your tune soon." Semi said, he raised his hand.

            The machines started operating.  Unwillingly Leia made eye contact with her brother looking deep into his blue eyes. *_I am so sorry.* _She said with her eyes.

_            *No, Leia, don't be. Don't give in. The Republic is more important then me, trust me. I will have no regrets in such a death. Don't give in.*_

_            *I love you.*_

_            *I love you too. Now, always.*_

Han came in at that moment. He seemed about to open his mouth and say something. But he took in the situation in a moment. He grabbed Leia's arm and squeezed it tight. Then he turned around and left. Leia figured he had gone to round up Lando and Chewie. 

            Leia watched as blood started to ooze from all over Luke's body. She spent her energy not letting the pain, horror, and anger she was feeling manifest itself in her body. _Don't let him know he is getting to you._ "Your Highness says the word and this will all stop. You have my word."

            "Trust the word of an Imperial, I don't think so."

            "I don't think you have a choice."

            "Let my brother go, or face the consequences." She said, her voice dripping with the ice that gave her her nickname as the ice queen. 

            "You are not in a position to make such statements."

            "Watch me." Leia said.

            "You have two days, or your brother dies." Semi said and he cut the line.

            Leia leaned against the wall, all of her energy sapped. A few minutes later she remembered Calinda who was standing around, uncertain of what she should do. "Go, thank you. Please do not mention what you saw to anyone. If someone questions you as to what you were doing, or what happened tell them you have orders from me and to take it up with me."

            "Yes Madame." Calinda curtsied and left. 

            Leia composed herself as best as she could and went back in the room. She noticed that Han was gone as were her three kids. She had been so involved in what she had seen and what she was going through that she had forgotten that her children could sense her pain. She was sure that was why Han had taken them. _Thank goodness one us had the presence of mind to think of them._

            Leia felt bad for a moment, but then consoled herself with the thought that Han had thought of it so they were taken care of. _Besides, the force just kept bombarding me with Luke's pain._

            Leia apologized to the Ambassador and her husband who assured her that it was okay. "It happens, trust me, I know." The ambassador said, dryly.

            Leia engaged them in a conversation about the economic trademark of the Senex, the Paprika spice. She searched with her Jedi powers for Han and her children. She found that Han, Lando, and Chewie were at the peripheries of her sensing abilities _So he left without me to go rescue Luke _and that her children were all in her bed.  She ended the event as early as she could.

            Then she raced to her room. "Will Lukie be okay." 5-year old Anakin asked as he saw or felt her come in, she wasn't sure which one.

            Leia felt her heart tighten. Of all of her kids Anakin, ironically, had bonded the most with his Uncle. "Your father has gone already to help Luke. I am going to go in the Alderaan as soon as I ask Wedge to look after you and make sure you guys are okay." She said, picking first Anakin, then Jacen, and finally Jaina up and holding them tightly.

            "So you are going to take the Alderaan?" Jaina asked.

            "Yeah. Remember-"

            "-the Alderaan is a secret and the fact that you are gone is a secret too." Jaina finished.

            Leia smiled at her daughter and took out the ribbons in Jaina's hair and said. "Smarty." 

            Jaina smiled at Leia. "Go already."

            Leia called Wedge on his comm. Link, she knew he couldn't be too far from her suite. 

            "What's up?" Wedge asked, concernedly when he was inside. "Han wasn't at the party after the first fifteen minutes and you disappear for twenty/thirty minutes and come back like a ghost."

            "The Imps have Luke."

            "What." Wedge said, reeling from that.

            "Yeah. So, I need you to watch the kids while I go after him."

            "You may need Rogue back up."

            "I need you here, watching them. Lando and Chewie went with Han. You are the only one left whom I trust with the kids for long periods of time. C3PO can watch them while you are at work." Leia said. "Wedge, please. Every minute we waste…"

            "Go." Wedge said. "Call if you need Rogue. Corran is a capable commander in my stead."

            "Thanks." Leia said, smiling at him. "The kids are in my room." 

            "Be good for Wedge." She called. "Love you."

            Leia practically ran to the Alderaan. On the way she called her secretary and cancelled all her appointments for the next week. _Ah wow you know work rules your life when you can even remember to cancel appointments on the way to rescuing your brother. _ Then Leia reached out and pinpointed her brother's location as best she could. She felt that he was on an Imperial base on Berenda. _Semi had no faith in my Jedi skills if he didn't think I could pinpoint Luke._ That bothered her, how easy it had been. If she was right and she got Luke out alive she would ask him. 

            Leia computed the hyperspace path to Berenda and then went. She wasn't as good with the proscribed routes as Han, not having the years of piloting experience so she only used those as far as she could trust her Jedi abilities. 

            She knew in her heart of hearts that she was their real chance of getting Luke out. Han would get there too late. He did not have the advantage of using the force to home in on Luke. He was going to have to stop somewhere and get the information as to where the Imperials were keeping Luke. _Wait, maybe Han had already gotten that information which is why he left so early._ She wasn't sure. But she didn't expend her Force energy trying to find him, she wanted to save t to find Luke.

            As Leia got closer she kept a constant eye on where Luke was. She couldn't feel how he was doing,  Semi had placed Ysalamari around him, but the big gaping hole was an easy way to find where he was. Two gaping holes, Myrkyr and a concentration on Berenda. 

            What Leia missed was someone else homing in on Luke's position, Arielle Kenobi. "Drat it, Luke." She said, willing her hyperdrive to go faster. "Can't keep yourself out of trouble. I knew when we met again it would be me rescuing you. Come on baby, come on. We need to get Luke outta there." Arielle force enhanced the power of her hyperdrive. "That's the ticket." She said as it zoomed.

            Arielle brushed her long curly blonde hair out of her face. She reached the planet an hour before Leia.

            She hid her ship in the curve of a grove (AN-Aenied anyone) at the foot of a cavernous crag. Arielle tried to use the Force to see where Luke was or what shape he was in but all she got was the Ysalamari wall. "Shoot." She muttered. She felt with her sensing abilities as far as she could. 

            There were three guards standing on the east door, five on the west and ten on the north. "Well, that tells you where to go." She went to the east door covering her face and body with a black cloak and used the force to flip them on their back and pinned them. 

            She felt very tempted to call out to them and mock them but she knew that would be unwise. The less these…things were able to identify her, the better for her and Luke. She got to the door and searched for a door panel. She could not find one. Puzzled she kept searching. _So this is why they only had three guards on this door. It only opens from the inside. Well… let's show them what a Jedi, even a mostly untrained Jedi can do._ Arielle stuck her lightsaber into the door and let the heat melt a big gaping hole in the place. 

            She clambered through the hole quickly and then assessed the situation. She climbed back out and grabbed the armor of one of the downed storm troopers. She put it on. Then she took off her power off of the stormtroopers and then using lightening fast Jedi reflexes, she hit them over the head so they were unconscious._ At least I didn't hit someone who was already down._

            She climbed in the hole again, weighed down by the heavy armor. She then walked in parade formation with the other stormtroopers until she reached what she thought was the central mainframe. She then sheltered herself from the others so they wouldn't see her or remember her. 

            She jimmied the lock so it would not open from the outside. She raced to the computer in the middle of the big high-tech room. She then took off her helmet and frantically pressed buttons. _"_Come on." She muttered aloud. "Come on, give it to me."

            Finally she was able to hack into the systems and find the prisoner list. It said "Luke Skywalker, chambers A-234."

            She pulled up a map of the station next and found where A-235 was. "Shoot." She said aloud. She would have to pass the main garrisons of the station before getting there. 

            She took a deep breath. She had a feeling that she could not count on the force to get her past the guards. She thought about it deeply, what should she do. 

            Timing was of the essence, so she couldn't just stand here all day. Besides, the longer she stood there the more the chances were that someone would realize something was amiss. 

            She remembered her father's words. _Information is your friend. Know as much as you can. No detail is meaningless. _

            She took a deep breath and looked at the map committing every part of it to memory.  There was an air valve that ran over room A-235. She took a deep breath. That was probably her best chance to rescue Luke. Problem was that there was no way to know what kind of air or lack of air was in the valve. Once she was in there she was at the mercy of luck, chance, and the force.

            _You are the daughter of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The heir of a great rich Jedi tradition. You have survived exile. You have survived being on the run from the Empire. Fear does not become you. Go. Be Brave. Make those before you proud._

She saw that the valve originated two halls over.  She went over there and inspected the sight. The valve was deep inside the wall. She cut herself a whole before the source of the air for the valve. The wall was hollow. Just enough for her to fit tightly inside. She then decided to cut herself into the air valve. She just hoped they didn't have an alarm when the air valve lost pressure. They probably would. She bit her thumb and then realized all she had to do was cut very precisely so that the piece could be replaced and the little air that was lost she could direct through the Force. She replaced both of the pieces.  She used the force to make sure that the air went properly and that no one noticed  The Force was with her. The  Ysalamaris formed a cordon with a radius of only 10 cellblocks. Arielle shook her head. _They forgot the first rule of combat, never underestimate your opponent. Either you thought Luke would be completely debilitated and there were no other Jedi or you underestimated the power of the Force._ _Both dumb dumb mistakes. I am not saying this is going to be a cakewalk, it is just more of a cakewalk then I imagined._

Arielle's challenge would be to get Luke out very quickly, because once she was in the Ysalamari influence her illusion would fall and people would see the gaping hole.

            As Arielle reached the 'borderline' of the influence she took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._ She scampered as fast as she could to what she approximated to be the center of the circle. Based on her knowledge of military tactics that is where Luke would be held. But she didn't count on that too much. She knew that any smart commander would anticipate that move. She did count on the fact that she had the cellblock number. She had hesitated once when she had heard the voice of a bunch of Imperials below her. _This must be where the main Garrison is housed._ She froze for a moment, fear overtaking her. She calmed herself _Anger, Aggression, Fear, the dark side are they._ _Besides, you have a plan for getting by them. Just enact it. Like you are doing. Easy does it._

            The trouble was, Arielle knew that she didn't have a whole lot of time. For two reasons, Luke's vital signs had been very unstable the last time she had been able to check, and the longer she delayed the more chances there were that someone would see the gaping hole. This was an active base, after all.

            She took a deep breath and went as quietly as she could. Still she heard, to her horrors of horrors, an Imperial (of high rank, she assumed because of the manner in which he spoke) said "Must have musckice, I hear somethin' crawling around in the walls."

            She tried to keep her crawling at a muskice-ish sounding pace after that for awhile so just in case the Imperial had gotten suspicious he would get nothing more. Stopping would be a mistake because that would make the Imperial more suspicious. Muskice were not sentient. They would not understand and react to that statement.

            When she finally reached the middle of the cordon she used her vibroblade, not a lightsaber, lightsabers made  too much noise and were harder to control, to cut herself a seeing hole in the wall. She saw some techies walking, _hurry up._ She waited until they had passed and then counted to 100. Then she cut herself a bigger seeing hole. But then as she was cutting an even bigger space so she could jump down, her blade got stuck in the metal and when she tried to get it out it cut too much and the piece went clanging to the floor making a huge noise. 

            Arielle cursed and took out her blaster. A firefight could really put her behind. Besides, after the death star escapade the Empire was much more vigilant about surveillance cameras just going dead and there definitely were surveillance cameras in this area. She noted that they were all surveying the floor. _They definitely didn't plan for an intruder coming in through the ceiling._ That still didn't help her any. She would have to drop to the floor, and then the camera operator would see her and ring an alarm throughout the entire base. Then Arielle remembered her disguise. She smiled to herself as an idea came to her. The sound hadn't been THAT loud, and the piece of metal was still small enough that it could be taken as simple musckice gnawing. Sure enough only two stormtroopers came to investigate. As the first one came to the hole to investigate she dropped to the ground using him as cover. _Perfect, he is about my height._ His partner immediately saw her and started firing. "Stop firing." She grated. "I am TK432." (She had checked and seen which stormtroopers were stationed where, TK432 was stationed on the outside hallway and should've heard.) "I was dispatched to check out what happened. I was waiting behind. Your incompetent firing gave away our position, we will never know if it was a musckice or not. You will be lucky not to be demoted. Go and check in the hole." 

            The stormtrooper looked to his partner who nodded. "You, come with me and we will check and make sure the area is still secure."

            "Let me call in."

            "Quickly."

            The stormtrooper called in, and said that there was nothing to indicate it wasn't a musckice, but he and TK432 were investigating.

            "Finish your investigation quickly and report in. The Admiral will be arriving to meet with the warlord soon. No mistakes."

            "Roger."

            Arielle had noted the surveillance cameras on the map she had seen. She knew there were no cameras in the prisoner hallways, (so there would be no record of the torture that took place), she also knew she had to hurry. They could notice the other hole any moment.

            She also saw that they were still two hallways away from Luke. _Good, this way it will be even less suspicious._

            The fact that the stormtroopers were not on high alert told Arielle that very few knew about the special prisoner their prisons held. That meant that her luck was holding. Not telling people was a double-edged sword. It meant that there were fewer to betray you, but it also meant the soldiers would be more on guard.

            But again, after the Death Star incident, anything to do with the prison banks was taken more seriously. 

            Arielle and her 'partner' combed the hallways and all of the cell banks. _I will be back Luke._ Arielle thought as they passed Luke's cell. "Nothing." The trooper reported in. "We checked all the prison bays."

            "Good. Both of you return to your posts."

            "Roger."

            "I will cover you as you return in case someone is hiding." Arielle let the stormtrooper pass and go away, TK432. As another matter of security after the death star incidents stormtroopers were not allowed in the prisoner hallways unless chasing a rebel.

            She had purposely ended in this hallway because cell A-342 was immediately opposite Luke's cell and was empty (remember, the Imperial higher-ups didn't want anyone to know they had Luke here). _I knew memorizing the map would come in handy._

            Technically Melisteel Metal, which made up the cell walls, was unbroachable, but Arielle knew that a lightsaber could make short work of it. Arielle listened at the wall to make sure no one was in there. She cursed again. There was a camera in there. But she had no choice. She had to get Luke out of there. She kept her lightsaber at ready. But she would use it as little as possible. Better not to let the Imps know she had Jedi powers. She knocked at the wall three times to tell Luke that she was on the other side and to get him to move away.

            She heard something thump and assumed that was Luke. She pushed her lightsaber into the wall. "Come on." She said. "Hurry."

            Speed was of the essence.

            Finally it cut through enough so that she could climb over and go to Luke. "Oh my." She said, horrified by the shape Luke was in.

            "Its been worse." Luke said, attempting a smile. 

            She saw that Luke had 'accidentally' knocked over the camera.

            He shrugged when he saw her looking at it. "Pin two wampas with one bolt. They will come to fix it, so we have to hurry."

            "Ari, is that really you?" He said, changing subjects really fast.

            "No, it is the Angels from Bago Yaven." She said, sarcastically. "Luke, we don't have time for hello's, they might be here any minute. So let's leave all this."

            Luke nodded. _She has a point. But there is so much I want to know…_ He took as deep of a breath as he dared. He was a Jedi Master. He knew the value of patience. 

            Arielle saw that Luke was in no condition to clamber through the hole. She sighed. This would take more time. She took out her vibroblade to try and undo the lock. 

            "Shoot." She said, when it did not work. 

            "Lemme try." Luke said.

            Luke used his years of skills with locks to get it open in 20 seconds flat. "Shall we?" He asked, gesturing Ari out first.

            "Uh-uh, they expect you to escape. 'Sides, you need me covering your back." Arielle said, handing him her lightsaber. All Imperials they would encounter except the ones they would encounter if caught, would assume Luke had gotten his lightsaber back. That was good for two reasons, one it added to the 'Jedi Skywalker myth' and it protected Arielle's identity as a Jedi.

            Luke couldn't argue with that, though he was worried about Ari, the back was where they were most vulnerable.

            Luke cautiously went into the hallway, Arielle's lightsaber in hand. "Now where." Luke asked Arielle once she sidled out.

            "Give me a second." Arielle said, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She tried to remember where they were in terms of the map and which way was closest to the exit. 

            She knew not to go to the closest border to the Ysalamari's influence, because if the commanders of the base were worth even the plastisteel of their armor they would have the crux of their force there. _Besides the fact that it is so close to an exit… trap._

            "Left." Arielle said. 

            Luke followed. "I expected you to argue, the Luke I knew would've."

            "I have matured." Luke said, simply. "I have had too much combat experience to not trust the person with the map."

            "Besides, Master Yoda trained you, he doesn't take insubordination."

            "True." Luke said, laughing a bit as he thought of his old training master. He winced a bit._ Laughing is definitely a mistake._

            He tried to cover it up by talking some more. "So, you have the entire rescue planned out. Right?"

            But, as usual, Arielle saw through it. She gave him a concerned once over. "As you said earlier, we don't have time. We need to go." Luke said. 

            "Luke," Arielle sighed, finally deciding to say something about the look on Luke's face. "I know you too well. You want me to spill my guts about where I was the last decade and a half and why I didn't come back earlier. You know the discussion is going to get emotional for both of us. We can't afford that right now. It would make us easier to hear, and less concentrated."

            "You are right, that doesn't make it easier, though." Luke said. 

            "Right." Arielle said. 

            Just then they heard the clank clank of stormtroopers. They looked at each other. The noise indicated at least fifteen or twenty. "10-1, not bad." Luke mouthed.

            Arielle shook her head amused as she took out her blaster, Luke was better with a lightsaber then she was.

            As these two readied for battle Leia walked behind the stormtrooper legion (AN-I am not sure what the proper term is.) She had entered the base at about the time Arielle was dealing with the stormtroopers in the communications area. Unbeknownst to Luke or Arielle a guarded alarm had been sounded in the area adjacent to where Arielle was. (The Imperials didn't want the rebels to know they suspected something.) When Leia had heard this alarm she had suspected that someone had reached Luke before her, so she had decided to follow the stormtroopers, wearing 'borrowed' armor of course, and let them lead her to Luke.

             Now that they had stopped and had supposedly reached their target she wanted to confirm that it was Luke before revealing herself. She lifted her blaster with the others so it would appear that she was readying to fire. She had to confirm quickly. Luckily the hallway was narrow so the troopers could not stay in parade formation. She let herself get pushed to the front for a second. She saw that it was indeed Luke, and the person next to him was a human female.

            She let herself get pushed to the back. Then she opened fire…on the stormtroopers. This took them by surprise and in the few moments it took them to react Leia had felled about 10 of the twenty in a big swoop move. Luke nudged Arielle, and Arielle shot a warning blaster bolt to warn the stormtroopers to pay attention to her as well. When they started turning around and firing Luke deflected the bolts back at them and Arielle fired her blaster. 

            "Luke." Leia said, stepping over dead and stunned stormtroopers to hug her brother. 

            "Leia." Luke said warmly. He winced a bit as the pain hit. "Uh Leia, that's not a good idea right now."

            "Sorry." Leia said. "Who is this?"

            "The name is Arielle-Arielle Kenobi. I happened to be flying close by and felt Luke's pain so I came to rescue him." Arielle said, not used to being able to use her full name yet.

            "Ari is a friend from Tatooine." Luke said, blushing a bit.

            Leia raised an eyebrow, but knew it wasn't the right time. "Pleased to meet you, Lady Kenobi."

            "Please, Arielle." Arielle said, waving her formality away.

            "All right, Arielle. We should get going." Leia said, changing subjects abruptly when she remembered the blaring alarms. It was easy to get lulled into a false sense of security as the alarms weren't blaring here. But then, she thought, that was the point.

            "Where were you planning to exit from." Leia asked as they moved.

            "A little alcove a few hallways away."

            "Good one, except what from there." Leia asked, having too much experience with what can happen with bad planning. 

            "Well, I am hoping Luke can cover us so we can go outside the outer periphery to my ship. It is hidden, hopefully well enough to ensure we won't have a huge firefight on our hands. As for the space battle… well, we will have to plan that as we go."

            "Are you sure the alcove is there." Leia asked.

            "Yeah, the first thing I did when I got here…well almost first thing, was study a map of this place."

            "Wow." Leia said, impressed with the foresight and planning. Most of the people she knew, herself included, had a tendency to rush in with minimal planning or no planning.

            "Thanks." Arielle said, then she fell silent trying to remember as many details about the map as she could.

            Leia was keeping as keen of an eye out as she could. So she saw Luke falter. "Luke." She said, rushing to put her arm under her brother's shoulder. 

            She stood like that with him for a moment. "You okay?"

            Luke managed a feeble smile. "Yeah, let's just keep going."

            Leia gave her brother a critical eye. "We have no choice, we have to keep going." Arielle said to Leia, quietly. "We will just have to keep him dunked in a Bacta tank when we get him to…well, wherever."

            Leia knew Arielle was right. There was nothing she could do for Luke standing there in the middle of an Imperial base. In fact she was just placing him in more danger. Arielle came to Luke's other side and with Luke supported by both of them the trio moved. "Right, left, right." Arielle said.

            Finally they arrived at the alcove. "That was all too easy." Arielle said under her breath.

            "Don't jinx it, Ari." Luke said, a little weakly.

            Sure enough then some stormtroopers came behind them. "Go." Luke, having caught sight of them first, whispered urgently. 

            The trio pressed themselves to the walls on both sides. "That was close." Ari said.

            They waited with baited breaths until the company passed.

            "See, no jinxing." Luke said.

            "Point taken." Arielle said.

            Walking got a little tougher for Luke as they hit the jungle, because the Ysalamari influence extended a little ways into the jungle on this side. "Sorry Luke." Arielle said. "But jungle is good for hiding."

            "No duh." Luke said, trying to keep the conversation light.

            "Let's keep moving. The sooner we get Luke out of the Ysalamari influence the better." Leia said.

            "You are right." Arielle said, getting up and craning her neck.

            Then immediately she fell back. "Jungle scout." She hissed.

            Leia unholstered her blaster, as Luke took out his lightsaber, and Arielle her blaster. But they flattened themselves against the trees. "Use bioscans set for humans." They heard the stormtrooper commander say.

Leia, Arielle, and Luke exchanged panic-filled looks. How could they fool a bioscan inside the Ysalamari influence.

With a flash Arielle remembered a little device her father had given her before she had left. She pulled it out of her pocket. She set it for 20 miles and aimed it. "They are not here, they are on the other side. Move." The commander ordered.

            The jungle scout moved away and Arielle, Luke, and Leia breathed a huge sigh of relief. 

            "My father gave me a Laxo 4 before I had to leave." Arielle explained.

            Leia whistled. "The rebellion was looking for one for years."

            A sad expression came on Arielle's face. "One of my father's old friends, Dex, I am pretty sure his name was, gave it to him. Dex read the signs better then any Jedi. He told my father that he would need it. Father gave it to me, saying he was more adept at hiding himself. But you know what happened there."

Neither Leia nor Luke knew what to say. Arielle shook her sad thoughts away. "Let's go." She said business like. 

            Luke looked like he was about to say something, but Leia mouthed _later_ to him. 

            The trio hugged the trees as much as possible to go to the ships. _The Alderaan _was the closest. 

            "All right, Leia, give us cover as Luke and I go to my ship." Arielle said, when they were inside the Alderaan.

            Arielle put up her hand to ward off any complaints. "My ship has better medical supplies on it." 

            Leia looked at Arielle distrustfully. "I have been living off my ship for so long, I had better have good medical supplies on it. I am not a fully trained Jedi, mind you." Arielle said.

            "Fine." Leia said, knowing her medical supplies were not nearly adequate for the extent of Luke's injuries. 

            "See you at Yavin." Luke said, smiling a bit.

            "Yeah." Leia said, "take care."

            "you too."

            Luke followed Arielle. "Unfortunately my ship is a little far back, Luke."

            "I am not a child, Arielle." Luke said, his voice getting a little clipped.

            "Luke." Arielle sighed. 

            Luke looked stubbornly forward for a moment. "Listen, I argued with father. Every day.  I _told_ him you were not a child. He knew you were not a child. That wasn't it."

            "What about leaving me behind and not telling me a thing. Did he make you promise-" before Luke could finish his angry diatribe they heard another patrol coming their way. 

            They were quiet and hugged the trees. But then they heard a loud click and double click and the patrol left. "It means rebels escaping." Luke translated. "They think Leia has all of us onboard." Panic entered Luke's voice. "They will send everything against her. Hurry."

            Love for his sister and panic as well as the force hastened his feet.  Arielle took a deep breath, she had to get used to this aspect of the force as well. She let the force and her father's training hasten her feet so she could catch up to Luke. So they reached her ship shortly. "Hurry, hurry, hurry." Luke chanted as Arielle punched the access codes.

            "I was wondering when the Tatooinian farm boy would surface." Arielle remarked. "There it is open."

            Luke clambered in. He climbed in the pilot's seat. "Hey."

            "No." Luke said seriously.

            "My ship."

            Luke turned to Arielle, and she knew not to argue anymore. The look on his face was that of utmost resolve and stubbornness. Besides, she knew he was the better pilot with more combat experience. Hers was more running experience. She gritted her teeth as she thought of that. She hadn't wanted to run. She had wanted to stay and _fight._ Fight and av… defend. But her father had been adamant. She still wasn't really sure why. But in the end she knew that she had to trust her father's judgment. Besides, had something happened to her… she knew her father would've known and that it would have killed him. He already blamed himself for too much. She hadn't and didn't want him feeling even more guilt on her account. It had truly been that that had made her listen to her father. 

            So Arielle clambered into the gun turret. "Ari, star destroyer. Starport." Luke's voice came in clipped. "We are going towards it."

            Arielle saw a star destroyer  on the tail of _Alderaan, _and figured out why Luke was so worried. 

            Arielle watched in amazement as Luke did a five point turn and hit the star destroyer straight in its weak point. "Thanks." Leia said.

            But before she could say anymore the duo was surrounded by a fleet of TIE fighters. "Shoot." 

"All right, it just got tough." Luke said.

            "As usual." Leia said, trying to keep her voice light.

            "Sorry, Ari." Luke said cutting off the comm. "I guess you came to rescue me just to get yourself killed."

            "Is that any way for a Jedi to talk." Arielle asked. "There is no greater honor for a Jedi except to die in service to the light. Especially our best friends… Our love."

            Luke's eyes went bright. "You love me."

            "Always have." Arielle said. "You knew that though, didn't you?"

            Luke fixed his eyes on the floor. "I just assumed you would have found someone else."

            "I assumed the same." Arielle said. "After all, you didn't even know I was alive."

            Luke leaned in and kissed Arielle. "I could wait for you until the afterlife."

            A flash from a TIE fighter broke up their kiss. "Alright, here goes."

            Luke did a few more five point turns and took out a few more ships. Then he did a complicated swoop maneuver. Then he had an idea. "Leia, 5-2-4-3." 

            "Right behind you."

            As the 5-2-4-3 dictated Luke did a swoop maneuver to the right and Leia to the left. Both had their deflector shields protecting the other side, but at the crucial point first Luke dropped his deflector shields as Leia covered him and converted the deflector shields to speed then the other way around. The 5-2-4-3 took out 50 ships. But even then, there were 50 left.   
            "Luke, we don't have many missiles left." Arielle said, in as calm a voice as she could manager. 

            "All right. Well, we took a lot with us." Luke said.

            He was about to radio this to Leia when he noticed that some TIE's on the opposite side of Leia were being shot down. "What?" He asked. 

            "I don't know." Leia said, telling Luke that he had accidentally flipped the comm.. button on. 

            Then Luke recognized the fighting style.  A broad smile came on his face.

            "You know who it is." Arielle asked.

            "Yes. I should've known he would come."

            "Han." Leia said. Her happiness at her husband arriving to the battle scene safely showed through.

            "Yes." Luke said, simple.

            (AN-I can't for the life of me remember Han's battle cry. But just pretend I am right.) "Yeaaaaah, the _Falcon rescue squad _here again." Han crowed. "Come in _A-_"

            "Right here." Leia said, quickly. The Imperials already knew she was here. She didn't want them to have the name of her ship as well.

            "Luke's here too." Luke added promptly.

            "Wha-you okay, kid?" Han asked, taken aback by the fact that the person he had come to rescue was okay, and already rescued.

            "Yup, Ari and Leia came and got me."

            "Ari, who is Ari." Han asked, suspiciously.

            "Introductions later, Captain Solo. Let's get rid of the pests first." Arielle said, getting on the line for the first time.

            "I assume that is Arielle." Han said. 

            "Yes."

            "Well, right you are, Madam Arielle." Han said.

            "It would have been nice if you had brought more ships-" Leia said.

            "Hey, the Falcon has served us well." Han said.

            "I know!"

            "But who says I did not bring more ships." Han said, grinning. "Come on out guys, 3-4-2."

            Leia and Luke gasped in surprise as three more ships came out of seemingly nowhere. "And you guys say I can't plan." Han said, enjoying their surprise.

            With 5 better trained ships they made short order of the TIE fighters and then escaped into hyperdrive. "Rendezvous at 3-2-1." Leia said.

            "Not us." A voice piped from one of the other ships. "Solo, we owe you no more. See you around."

            "Keep your nose clean."

            "Always."

            Leia didn't get what was going on, but assumed it was just some banter they engaged in.

            Anyways, they all needed to depart before the Imperials sent anymore troops after them. "2-2-4-2-1." Luke said, giving the code for I am going to Coruscant.

            Luke turned off the comm. "Buckle in, darling. We are going to blast off."

            Arielle complied saying. "I can't believe we made it out of that, not only alive, but having won!!!"

            "The light always wins." Luke replied. "Just as long as those who serve it remember what their mission is and keep their wits around them."

            Just then the effects of the Torture, and not to mention expending so much energy he didn't have hit Luke. "Um, Ari, you take over now. I am going to go… to the Fresher."

            "I am afraid I don't have a guest cabin." Arielle said, completely ignoring Luke's feeble attempt at a cover. "But you can use the fighting room. The mats are actually comfortable. Let me get you some sheets."

            Arielle took Luke to the fighting room and sat him down and then went to go get him some sheets. "I can't believe you have a fighting room on your ship." Luke said.

            "Well, remember that this is basically where I have been living for many years. I needed this to be self-sufficient. Especially since I live alone." Arielle said.

            Luke felt some sadness that his friend had had to be so lonely, so completely deprived of contact.

            Arielle sensed these thoughts. "Father gave me a lot of company. Even after he died, he came and talked to me. He, for some reason, couldn't train me much. He would always say, that is not my place. But he kept me sane. He also kept me informed. In fact, it was his urging that had me venture this side and rush to fix my hyperdrive when it broke." 

            That helped Luke, a little. But he still felt bad. "Don't, Luke." Arielle said, cupping his cheek. "There was nothing you could've done. You coming with me would've endangered both us, not to mention been the death of the galaxy."

            Luke snickered a bit. "Rest, Luke. From what I have seen of your sister, she will have my head if you leave this ship worse then when you came on it."

            Luke snickered again, that was very true. "Can you do a healing trance." Arielle asked.

            Luke shook his head. "Too many injuries, I am too drained."

            "Then just sleep." Arielle said. She pulled down something from the wall. "This is a communication device. Press it to call me. Don't use up too much energy trying to Force call me. Just in case I don't feel you faint or something."

            Luke nodded and Arielle left. Luke slept for the rest of the journey back. "I hate to wake him up." Arielle murmured to herself. "But, not being strapped in on the way back would be bad for him."

            So she shook his awake. "Luke," she said gently. "We will be entering Coruscant subspace in four minutes. "Come, you can fall asleep in the cockpit."

            Arielle supported Luke and they walked and then strapped Luke in. Then something occurred to Arielle. How was she going to get permission to get into Coruscant. Luke was asleep again. But her problem was solved when the voice said. "Unidentified ship, Chief of State Organa Solo has given you permission to land on the Imperial Palace. Realize any deviations from the prescribed flight plans means that you will be fired upon."

            "Understood, thank you Coruscant Ground Control." Arielle said, not knowing how but thanking the stars that Leia had arrived before her and cleared her landing. 

            Landing on the Imperial Palace meant that they could get Luke to treatment sooner. She could tell that he was in very bad shape. Arielle sensed a worried Leia pacing and waiting for Luke at the Palace dock. She also felt a flurry of other people, some of whom seemed to be, she couldn't be fully certain, Holo reporters. 

           /?/ Leia, can you please help me unstrap him. /?/ 

            Arielle opened the ship door for Leia, and almost immediately Leia and Han were there. "I got him." Han said to Leia and Arielle. "The med personnel are right outside the ship." He said. "I didn't want to give them permission to come on your ship."

            Arielle appreciated the gesture. "Thanks." She said, touched.

            Han gave her a roguish wink. "You seem like my kinda gal, someone who needs her ship to be her personal space.

            _You don't know the half of it. This has been my personal space for years._ Arielle was overwhelmed by the holo reporters. She had known that they covered Luke, that was one way she knew how he was doing… that he was still most probably single.But still seeing the frenzy surprised Arielle.

            She admired how expertly Leia cut the crowd and got Luke to the med center. Arielle was just following, concerned about Luke. "Please, move. Let him get to the med center." Leia kept saying to the reporters. "A statement will be issued LATER." 

            "Was it an Imperial attack?" some reporter asked.

            "Luke was taken prisoner by the Imperials, a group of us rescued him." Leia said, as she ran with the stretcher into the med center itself.

            A 2-enbee droid stopped Leia, Arielle, and Han from following the stretcher into the bacta room. "Please, sit down. A medic will be with you shortly. You can't go in."

            All three were going to protest, but the 2-enbee droid gently insisted. "Please, it can't help him if you get sick." The 2-enbee was obviously programmed to deal with distraught family members.

            The droid guided the trio to seats. A medic came out a half an hour later and they were on their feet again. He smiled at them sadly. "I am afraid Jedi Skywalker has very serious injuries. I have put him in bacta immersion already. I will take him out tomorrow for a brief interlude."

            "Thank you doctor." Leia said, giving him her best attempt at a smile. 

            Han squeezed her shoulder. "Madame Chief of State, if you give me your code I will contact you before I take him out."

            It was Han who answered though. "3xs32s. When someone answers give the code Skyforce."

            "If no one has any more questions, I will get back to my patients. I will contact you if something changes, and/or before I take him out."

            "Thank you." Han said. 

          The medic bowed himself back into the inner rooms. But instead of leaving, they want to the bacta chambers and sat with Luke.  

                        Leia, Arielle, and Han did not leave Luke's side all the long night, and the medic found them sitting by his bacta tank when he came around for his morning rounds. "You all did not get any sleep last night, did you?" He asked.

            Leia shook her head. The medic sighed. "Please, all three of you, go get some sleep. You will not do Master Skywalker any good by sitting here tired." 

            When none of the three budged he said. "You don't want to be asleep when he is taken out of bacta, now do you?" 

            That got their attention and he pushed a bit more. "I've heard emotions affect Jedi. You want him to feel only positive emotions, right?"

            That caught Leia's attention. "Come on, let's go." She said to Han and Arielle, then she turned her attention back to the medic. "You will call us if anything changes."

            The medic bowed. "Yes, Madame." 

            Han got up, albeit reluctantly, but Arielle was still sitting glued to the chair, her face a pale white. Leia went and put her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Come on." She said, gently, guiding the girl to her feet.

            She could guess what Arielle was going through after spending hours with Han at the med center as he got his hibernation sickness treated. 

            Arielle let Leia lead her back to her apartment, and put her on the guest bed. "Get some sleep." Leia ordered. "I will wake you up before we go to the med center to be with Luke as he comes out of the bacta tank." 

            "Follow your own advice, your worship." Han said, putting his arm around Leia's shoulder and taking her to their bed. "Sleep." He said, laying her down. "I will monitor the comm."

            "Don't you need to sleep?" Leia said, propping herself up. 

            "Chewie will relieve me." Chewbacca had gone to check on the smuggler's Han had recruited to make sure they had gotten home all right. 


	2. The story continues

"What about the kids?" Leia asked.

"They are better off with Wedge for a bit longer. I will call Wedge and let him know what is going on. I will also tell him that if they get too out of control, or upset to bring them back here." Han paused for a moment, looked her in the eye and said, "Don't worry, Sweetheart, I have everything under control. You just take care of yourself, sleep." 

"If you are sure." Leia said, knowing that sleep would ease her mind's worries as well, and make the time go faster.

            "I am." Han kissed Leia's forehead. He then turned and left, first going to make sure the door to the guest room was closed so that Arielle could get some sleep undisturbed, and then he went into the main room of their quarters.

            Han sat down, putting his head in his hands. The Kid managed to get himself into trouble again. It was getting to be quite a record. Han just hoped that his injuries weren't as bad as last time. Last time was awful. It had taken Luke four bacta trips to recover. Those Imperials were lucky that Luke had been in such bad condition, otherwise he would've stayed until he had gotten every last one for what they had done to Luke.

            As Han sat, musing in dark thoughts, the comm. Unit raised the alarm, someone was calling. "Yeah, Solo residence, Han speaking." Han said.

            "Captain Solo, I am Doctor Alin from the Med center."

            "Yes Doctor." Han said, suddenly alert.

            "It seems as though Jedi Skywalker has been able to use some Jedi techniques, he is doing a whole lot better." Dr. Alin said. "We are almost to the point where Bacta can do nothing more for him."

            Han was relieved, Bacta could do a lot for people. "Now I am not saying that he is completely better yet, because he is not. He will need to be on virtual bed rest for one week and then heavy rest for another two weeks." Dr. Alin cautioned.

            "Thank you. When are you taking him out of the Bacta, my wife and Arielle will want to be there." 

            "This evening, about 2000 hours. I would like to eke every bit of good out of the bacta as we can."

            "Understood, thank you for everything Doctor."

            "Just going my job, Coruscant Med Center out."

            "Solo out."

            Now came the hard part, deciding whether or not to wake Leia. Han decided he should walk her up. After all, he would want to be woken up. Plus, since it was good news she would be happy. 

            So he walked to their room and woke her up. "Lei, Dr. Alin called."

            Leia was up instantaneously. "And-" she said, when he paused to see if she was awake or not.

            "Luke is doing better then expected-" Han put up his hand to stop her from saying anymore. "The doctor said that Luke will still be on bed rest for a week, then restrictive reg. But he will taken out of the Bacta tank tonight."

            Leia clapped her hands together out of joy. "That is great news, let me go wake Arielle and tell her."

            "See if you can get her to say how she knows Luke." Han called to her.

            "She is an 'old friend' from Tatooine." Leia said, turning around so Han could see her smirk.

              Leia rushed off and awoke Arielle. Han heard excited squeals coming from the guest room. "Good." Han said, he had taken an instantaneous liking to the girl. She was calm, level headed. If she and Luke were an item, she would be good for him. 

            Han really wanted to press her and find out whether they were or weren't an item, but knew right now was not the time. When Luke was better he would push the issue. 

            Right now Han went to start some Kaffe… on the other hand, why do we have a droid taking up space and eating my head. "C-3PO." Han called.

            "You called, Captain Solo, incidentally, how is Master Luke."

            "He is going to be just fine." Han said, being uncharacteristically nice to the droid. "Can you please start a pot of Kaffe."

            "It would be my pleasure." C-3PO said. 

            Han was amazed, here was a conversation with Goldenrod where goldenrod did not completely bore him. But then, C-3PO started up. "Kaffe is good when one is upset a mild stimulant is good. I will be sure to put some soothing herbal textures in there as well. The history of Kaffe-"

            "Professor, I don't particularly care for the history of Kaffe. What I do care about is having a pot of Kaffe ready." Han said, his voice dangerous.

            "Oh, right, sir, right away." Threepio scurried away as quickly as he could. 

            Just then Han's stomach grumbled. "Kaffe on an empty stomach?" Han thought.

            He went and programmed the food processors to make a big breakfast for the three. Then he changed it to for twenty, Chewie should be in shortly. 

            "Kaffe is ready." C-3PO said, tottering into the dinning room a little later. "I noticed that the breakfast is ready too." 

              Han noticed that C-3PO was carrying all the dishes to the table. "Thanks, professor." He said, grudgingly. Then he called out. "Leia, Arielle, breakfast."

            "Coming." The girls said, happily.

            Arielle and Leia came in a few minutes later and joined Han at the table. "You both look very relieved." Han said, letting his own relief show through.

            "Definitely." Arielle said. "Definitely." She repeated, breathing a huge sigh of relief.

            "Luke had better have had all the fresh air he needs, because I am going to have him under surveillance all the time." Leia said.

            Han laughed, "I am sure right as he remembers what happened, he will be expecting that." 

            "Speaking of people who need constant surveillance, what about the kids? I am sure they felt my emotions." Leia said. "How are they holding up."

            "I just talked to Wedge. Wedge said they had been up almost constantly while we were at Berenda, and they have just fallen asleep. Lando went over to help Wedge, because he knew that Wedge would need the help. So between Wedge and Lando they have it under control. They are going to bring the kids here once we call them to tell them that Luke is home." 

            "Good." Leia said, relaxing. If the kids had been up all night they would sleep for a good many hours, giving all the adults involved time to assess the situation. 

            "What time, exactly, are they going to take Luke out of the Bacta tank." Arielle asked.

            "2000 hours. Don't worry, I am planning to have us there much in advance." Han answered.

            "That is a lot of time." Arielle said, worried a bit about how it would pass. Whatever the Doctor said, she knew that she would worry until she saw Luke's conscious face.

            Compassion filled Leia's face. She knew that her own pain paled in comparison to this girl's. Leia had, after all, had had more time with Luke. Arielle had come back to Luke just to find him in this state.

            She put her hand on Arielle's shoulder. "He will be fine, he has to be."  

            Arielle, leaned into her hand a little more, _hold it together, Ari, she may be Luke's sister but you still don't know her well enough to cry in front of her and her husband. _ Still Arielle gratefully drank the warmth from Leia's touch, the comfort.

            Leia saw the girl's hesitance to let all her emotions out and gratefully took on the responsibility of making Arielle relax until it was time to go see Luke. Leia sat down and finished her meal as best as she could on wrought nerves. 

            "All right, Arielle, finish quickly." Leia ordered Arielle who had just been picking at her food. "We are going to go see. Gnik eht fo nruter in the Cineplex. I am going to get us seats." Leia named the longest as well as the most engaging movie that was playing. _It is really great luck that this movie is both. ._

            "Leia, I think I will pass." Arielle tried. "I don't think I am in the mood… You and Han go."

            "No, if and but's or whats. We need to get our minds distracted."

            "I am going to stay here to manage the com." Han said. 

            "All right." Leia said.

            "I can manage the com." Arielle tried.

            "No. Han knows the people who would call, and knows which would be important enough to forward to me right away." Leia said. "Get dressed, we are going."

            "All right." Arielle said, realizing that this was not a battle she could win. "But all of my clothes are on my ship."

"No problem." Leia said. "Let me get ready, then we will go to the Cineplex via your ship."

Leia also stopped off at the comm. Unit and asked the manager to arrange for a way for her and a friend to watch the film without being hounded by the holoreporters.

She also called to clear a path for them to go to Arielle's ship. She didn't want anyone trying to judge her actions of going to a film while her brother was in the medcenter, or to risk her saying something she would regret later. 

 Leia put on an outfit quickly and them headed out to the main area where Arielle was waiting. She had a long cloak ready. "It was tied around my waist." She explained, telling the truth but not offering any more information as to why she had it with her at all times.

"Let's go." Leia said. "You don't need the cloak, if you don't want it. I have called ahead and had our route cleared." At Arielle's questioning look she explained. "I don't use the influence if I don't have to, but in this case I felt it would be best for all of us."

"Good, it is too warm anyways." Arielle said, as she took it off and went to put it away.

"Just leave it on the chair." Leia said. "Threepio will move it later, or it will be there when we get back. We have to hurry if we want to make the beginning."

"Bye Han." Leia called. "Remember-"

"-call me if anything changes, don't worry I know." Han interrupted. "You two go."

Leia and Arielle left. Han sat himself in the form-fitting chair, trying to let the comfort of the chair calm him. He had done a good job of burying his emotions behind a façade of calmness with Leia and Arielle, but now that they were gone, all the emotions were coming crashing back. 

He ran an anxious hand through his hair. It would do no one any good for him to crash now. Leia was taken care of, as long as she had someone else to mother, something to do she was fine. Arielle was in good hands. The kids were in good hands. Chewie was concentrating on flying. Luke was… well, not conscious. The only person left to take care of for Han was Han.

But before Han could think about how to calm himself without the _Falcon_ to work on, the door opened. Han craned his neck and saw Chewie come in. "Furball." He said with relief. "Come and sit."

"Luke will be out of Bacta at 2000 hours. Leia has taken Arielle out to the Cineplex in hopes of getting both people's minds off of Luke."

Chewie growled a query. "No, we don't know exactly how Arielle is yet. I felt it wasn't an appropriate time to ask either Leia what she knows, or Arielle herself. We are just going to have to wait until Luke is better." 

Chewie asked "So Leia does know something more."

"Yeah, I do think Leia knows more then she is telling. After all, she was with Arielle for longer…. Listen, I am going to go to the _Falcon_, I need to work off some frustration. Can you keep an eye on the comm. Center for awhile, mainly for any news about Luke. The receptionist droid shouldn't let any call in unless it is an emergency."

"What about the fact that few people know Wookie."

"I will be back soon. And the people who call now should know Wookie." Han said, standing up slightly regretfully, the chair really was comfortable. 

Chewie took Han's chair. "The _Falcon_ is in the big docking bay." Chewie said, as he settled in. 

Han went to the _Falcon, _he installed a new weapons shield and took care of some scoring from the battle. He furiously worked and worked out a lot of his anger, frustrations, and insecurities. 

Finally his chronometer's alarm went off, telling him it was time to get back to the suite.  He had sent his chronometer of 1900 hours so he would be back before Leia, and could get the report from Chewie first and appraise the situation. 

"Chewie, anything?"

Chewie growled a negative. "No." 

"Good." Han said, deciding in this case no news was good news. "I am going to the refresher to get cleaned up. Leia and Arielle should be back in 15 standard minutes." 

Han came back 10 standard minutes later clean and fresh. Arielle and Leia came in a few minutes later. "How was the picture."

            "It did get my mind off of Luke." Arielle said, awed. She hadn't thought it would, but had gone long because she knew she had no real choice. 

            "I am glad." Leia said, sincerely, "Our positive energies help Luke more. Worrying would just have hurt him."

            "Um.. Arielle, this is Chewbacca of Kashyyk, Chewie, Arielle."

            Arielle bowed, knowing the Wookie's strength could crush her arm. 

            Chewie bowed back. 

            That done, the four looked at each other wondering what to do. "Let's sit down and wait." Chewie finally said, sitting down himself.

            Leia, Arielle, Han, and Chewie sat for a few minutes, but then Arielle said what was on all of their minds. "Let's just go early and wait there if we have to." She stood up.

            The other three stood up in a hurry, relieved that they were finally going to take some action. They went to the medcenter where the staff, who were star struck to see the Chief of State in their office, rushed them into a private waiting room just adjacent to the Bacta removal chambers. "You think they'd be used to us coming in here." Han said to Leia, amused.

"Sadly enough, true." Leia said.

A medidroid came and said, "The Doctor is with Master Skywalker in the Bacta removal chambers, checking Master Skywalker's vitals and seeing if he is ready to be removed. The doctor has instructed me to tell you that you may come in if you wish."

"We would." Leia said, gracefully.

They stepped into the big Bacta removal chambers. They saw other family members clustered around tanks where other doctors were checking vitals. Some where out of the tank, their gurneys being climbed on by excited children. Here people were too much involved in their own problems to care that the Chief of State had just walked in. The medidroid led the group to a Bacta tank in a secluded corner. The doctor paused his work for a moment to bow to Leia. "Madame Chief of State, Captain Solo, Mr. (AN-I can't remember SW honorifics) Chewbacca, Madam."

"Doctor," Leia said, inclining her head gracefully.

The doctor then turned back to the Bacta Tank, but said, "Everything looks right for Bacta removal. Most of his injuries have been healed. He probably will be weak for a few days, though." 

            The doctor did not wait for any reply but went to the next panel, after he looked at the panel he said. "I am going to start the removal process."

            The four braced themselves in their own way. Luke was taken out and put on a gurney. The gurney was programmed to go to the recovery room Luke was assigned to, Leia and Han followed. "Regaining consciousness after Bacta usually takes 2-4 minutes." A programmed recording on the gurney said.

            Leia held his right hand as Han positioned himself on Luke's right, and Arielle held his left. Chewie stood by Arielle. "Hi." Luke said, groggily as he regained consciousness.

            Luke shook his head to try and rid himself of the remaining Bacta influence.   
            Leia smiled with tears in her eyes. "Feeling better." She asked. 

            "Thanks to all of you." Luke said, giving his family and friends a warm smile.

            "Not really-"Arielle started, but Han interrupted her. "Luke needs to get some rest. All right, so, kid, sleep!."

            "Yes General, sir!" Luke saluted as best he could lying down and exhausted.  Luke then closed his eyes and let dreams take him. Yet as he drifted off to sleep he thought about Arielle. She still was so beautiful, inside and out… It looked as though Han and Leia had taken to her as well… That was good. It was hard to keep a relationship when your sister disapproved. Especially when the sister is Leia. 

            Luke awoke a few hours later to find Han, Chewie, Arielle, Wedge, Lando, and Leia sleeping in various places around his room in Leia and Han's apartment. (Han and Leia had set aside a room for Luke. They had tried having Luke have his own apartment on Coruscant, but had found that it just wasn't practical. He wasn't on Coruscant often, and when he was he was either out or with friends.) He also felt a weight on his chest, he looked up to find Anakin sleeping on his chest. He turned his head and saw that Jacen and Jaina were curled up beside him. He smiled gently.

            Luke snickered as he surveyed Wedge and Lando, it was obvious from their exhaustion and state of their clothing that they had been the ones tapped to watch the JAJ trio. 

            Leia awoke a few minutes later, "Luke! How are you feeling."

            "Better thanks." He replied honestly. 

            Leia's voice awoke Arielle and Han. He smiled patiently as they crowded around him asking if he was okay, and Han teasing him about forever getting into trouble. He knew that it was because they cared and had been worried. 

            "I am doing better. Bacta and Jedi Healing trances work miracles." 

            "Good." Arielle said, leaning back. "You know you will really have to teach me how to do effective healing trances."

            "Definitely." Luke said, looking into Arielle's eyes.

            Arielle knew that she should look away, everyone was watching… but his gaze was entrapping. 

Lando chose that moment to wake up, ending the moment as he slapped Luke's arm lightly and asked him if he was okay. 

            "Yes, thank you." Luke said, giving Lando the warmest smile he could muster. 

            Arielle stayed towards the back of the room as everyone else there chatted with Luke for the next few hours.  Then just as she had gotten her courage back and headed to the front of the room to talk to Luke, Han said. "All right, folks, let's give Luke a chance to rest. We don't want him relapsing."

            Everyone else murmured their assent and head out after saying their farewells to Luke, so Arielle smiled at him, trying to convey her desire of talking to him at a later time, and then she headed out with everyone else. 

            Arielle left the door, trying to shake off the emotion she felt when she saw him. Sure he said he loved her, but that was in the heat of battle. He just said it. _Luke never just says thing._ She closed her eyes and trying to fight her treacherous mind.

            "Arielle," Leia said, softly coming out. "I need to talk to you about serious matters."

            Arielle's mind was instantly alert. _Does she want to talk to me about Luke, warn me away from him… What does she want._

            "Listen, I am going to need to talk to the inner council about you."

            Arielle's brow creased. "What about me?"

            Leia sighed. "You are claiming to be a Jedi-" 

            Leia put up her hand when she saw Arielle start to protest. "I believe you, but… you have to realize the politics surrounding the Jedi. People are definitely going to use this for their own political gains. Then you are close to Luke, the reclusive Jedi Master, hero of the Rebellion, and head of the Jedi order. Your presence is definitely going to become a debate in front of the Inner Council. It is better if _we_ bring it forward, so we can mold this debate to our advantage."

            Arielle shook her head. "Politics still hasn't gone away, huh." She appreciated Leia's emphasis on the word, we. Arielle knew she definitely would need help, she had no expertise in the political arena at all. 

            "Unfortunately, no." Leia said, trying to smile. "But Arielle, even though I strongly suggest that we bring it up sooner then later, I will not act without your consent." 

            "I appreciate that." Arielle said. She ran her hand through her hair. Did she really want to subject herself to political scrutiny? Even though later in his life her father had made friends with some politicians, he still had warned her to stay as far away from politics as she could while protecting political interests. "Are you sure they'd come after me?"

            "As sure as I am of the nose on my face." Leia said, seriously. "Anything Jedi they go after. Anything that deals with their precious Jedi Master they go after."

            "You are sure it will be soon?"

            "Definitely, holo feeds caught you and your ship as you came in.  I am sure there were holo feeds in the Med center and various points, I will admit I wasn't looking or sensing as I should've been there. I know holo reporters are right outside. The Councilors who would go after you definitely watch the holo feeds." Leia said.

            Arielle took a deep breath, and focused her thoughts. "Okay." She said, letting out her breath. "What do you need me to do."

            Leia relaxed, "Okay, my strategy is to introduce you as the daughter of a celebrated war hero and premier Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Do you have anything that your father gave you that would help resurrect the Jedi order?"

            "Yeah, he stacked my ship with training manuals, and datacards. The Jedi Council had divided almost everything up between him and Master Yoda, and he gave me most of it for safe-keeping."

            Leia smiled. "That will make Luke so happy. One thing he constantly complains about is resurrecting a Jedi order with so little information. It will also help in this political maneuvering. Get Luke to look over some of the documents, say that they are Jedi."

            Arielle didn't understand why that was necessary or helpful, but decided that she would just let Leia do what she needed to. 

            "Okay,  I can get them right now." Arielle said.

            "No, it is okay. Let's sit down and go over some of the other things that will need to be brought up." Leia said.

            Arielle and Leia sat down on the couches. "Okay, where have you been your entire life."

            "As a kid I was on Tatooine, then I left to go into hiding from the Empire. I was never in the same place for more then six months until I heard a rumor of a hide-away of sorts in the Mendili cluster. It was out of the way, but as long as you had skills enough to make yourself useful, and didn't want to leave and come back often, you were welcome. No questions asked. I visited and found it, I stayed there for oh gosh, over ten years, until my father came into my dreams and said it was time to go, the Empire had fallen and Luke needed me. He didn't elaborate, but once I left the Mendili cluster I felt Luke's pain. Then I did the same trace method I am sure you did, and here I am."

            Leia nodded absent-mindedly. "That works really well. We shouldn't have any problems. We will go over exact strategy the day before your actual presentation." 

            Something hit Leia right then. "THE AMBASSADORS FROM THE SENEX." She almost screamed. "Excuse me." She said to Arielle as she practically jumped to the communications room.

            She called her office. "Madame, Minister of State Bel Iblis took care of the Ambassadors." Her secretary said. "Once you asked me to cancel your appointments, I forwarded the urgent ones to him."

            Leia breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness one of us has sense." 

            "Madame." Her secretary protested. "Your brother was in the clutches of the Empire, even the Ambassadors from the Senex should have understood. The Minister of State certainly did." 

            "Good. Well, I should call him now." Leia smiled at her secretary warmly. "You really saved an important negotiation." 

            "Just doing my job." The Secretary said.

            "Organa Solo out."

            "Salli Lu out." 

            Leia then called Bel Iblis. "Leia! I was just going to call you, how is Luke?"

            "Doing much better, thank you." 


	3. the final chapterfor now

Bel Iblis breathed a deep sigh of relief. "That is good."

"Thank you so much for helping with the Senex Ambassador."

"Leia. That is the description of Minister of State. Taking over when the Chief of State cannot. The Ambassadors definitely understood once I explained to them. We were able to get a good trade agreement, and a nonaggression pact."

Leia was impressed, she never would have admitted it aloud, but Bel Iblis really was not the best diplomat. "Congratulations." She said, thinking that maybe she should delegate some more diplomatic work to Bel iblis so he could practice.

Bel Iblis smiled. "Thank you. It actually is not much different than tactics on the battlefield. Luke is out of the Bacta?"

"Yes. But he has been put on Bed rest."

Bel Iblis winced. "That must be hard for an active man like Luke. I know I hate bed rest."

"Well, he does not have a choice. Han, I, Lando, Wedge, and others have him on 24-hr watch. We have no desire for him to relapse." Leia said, her voice unconsciously getting firm as she talked about it.

Her voice had gotten hard as she remembered the argument she and Luke had had about it. Luke had tried to wheedle his way into getting to go out exercising, but Leia had put her foot down. "Absolutely not." She had said.

Luke had been all right for the first four hours, but then he had tried to sneak out. Leia had caught him and forced him back to bed before he was out of the room.

A chime rang in the background. "Ah, Fey'la is here." Bel Iblis said, rolling his eyes.

Leia gave him a sympathetic smile. "Just do not let him get to you." She advised, fighting an impulse to tell him to keep Fey'la waiting and to go in herself. "Keep the higher ground so he can't use that against you. Keep your cool."

Garm grimaced. "Easy for you to say."

Leia gave him a good-natured smile. "Organa Solo out."

Leia went back to the main room where Arielle was patiently waiting. "Sorry." Leia said. "That could have had bad repercussions."

Arielle smiled at Leia. "Work never stops."

Leia grimaced. "Especially with my job." Leia had decided that she should befriend this girl who could be her sister-in-law some day.

"Let us recap." Leia said. "Jedi Knight daughter of Kenobi, safeguarding material. In Hiding. Given message from your father that it was time to come home."

"That is correct." Arielle said, deciding that Leia was omitting stuff on purpose.

Leia smiled. "Definitely workable."

Leia wrote some notes for awhile longer, and then put her datapad aside. "All right, politics is done for the day. Let us scrounge up some food. What do you want."

Arielle smiled to herself, _correction, let us scrounge up some information about you._

Still, Arielle said "anything edible sounds good right about now."

"I think C-3PO could scrounge up some Baked Atsap." Leia said.

"That sounds amazing." Arielle said. _If only it could be without question about my past and what Luke used to mean to me.._But it was as if Leia read her mind because she did not ask Arielle about her past in terms of Luke, or anything Arielle had not already mentioned.

About an hour later Leia said. "Well, I am exhausted. I think I will quickly check on Luke and then go to bed."

"Good idea. I think I will do that as well soon." Arielle said, stretching.

Arielle waited until she sensed Leia leaving from Luke's bedside and then she walked to Luke's room. "Good night." She said to Leia.

"Good night." Leia said, giving Arielle a smile. "If you need anything, just come and knock on our doors."

"Thank you."

"Oh, and, the kids may be back up to their mischief making potential so be warned." Leia said as she left. "They should know that you are off limits, but who knows what those kids get up to."

"Thanks for the warning." Arielle said. _So that means I should probably keep my room locked when I am not in it. _

"Yup." Luke replied out loud.

Arielle gave him a mock glare. "Stop reading my brain, Jedi."

Luke smiled, enjoying getting back into their old routine bantering. "

"So, how are you feeling?" Arielle asked, concerned.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Fine, just feeling a little itchy. I would love to go for a run or something, but my prison wardens won't let me."

Arielle gave Luke a serious and piercing look. "You will listen to your prison wardens, we are not letting you relapse because you can't sit still for a few days."

Luke started to protest, but saw the look on Arielle's face and thought better of it. "Yes ma'am." He said, instead.

"Tell me a story about you in the years that I haven't seen you for." Arielle said, changing the subject.

Luke told the relatively light hearted story of Gavin getting drunk for the first time, and the lecture Biggs gave him.

Both Arielle and Luke were laughing very hard by the end of it as Luke related how Gavin interrupted the most impressive part of Biggs' lecture by belching loudly.

"I am so sorry I missed that." Arielle said, tears of laughter in her eyes.

"Me too." Luke said.

The light moment evaporated as if it never had been. Arielle catching the slight accusatory feeling behind those two words. "Luke." Arielle started, realizing that this issue of why she had left could not wait until Luke was better.

Arielle thought quickly of ways they could delay this. Arielle did not want to strain Luke by talking about such a heavy subject, but she also did not want him to realize she was stalling. Luke had absolutely hated being treated like an invalid, something left over from the training Owen had given him. "Stand up, Luke." Arielle could still hear him bellowing at Luke. "Be a man." And from what she had seen of Luke, that had not changed. Plus, he may think she was stalling for other reasons.

Arielle's dilemma was solved by a coughing fit from Luke. Arielle hurried and handed him tissues and Leia rushed in with water. "No more talking." She scolded Luke.

"Ye-" Luke started, until Leia fixed him with a look.

Luke mumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, _Bossy sisters._

"Leia." Han called.

"Coming." Leia called back.

"You." Leia said, pointing at Luke. "No talking. If I hear you talking I will tape your mouth shut."

Luke grumbled but nodded. Satisfied, Leia left after smiling at Arielle. Arielle realized that his was a big step for Leia. Leia was a protective sister who in every other circumstance would have stayed in the room with Luke until Luke fell asleep. But Leia had realized that this had to be Arielle's moment too.

"Here, it is my turn to tell you a story." Arielle said, easing a cushion under Luke's head.

Arielle told Luke about her trip to the Corporate Sector drink bars and just how many more than slightly inebriated men tried to hit on her. She told him about how one guy walked up to her and just fell down.

She didn't tell Luke about having to run from stormtroopers that night because one of the guys turned out to be from Tatooine and told the stormtroopers that he thought she looked like Crazy Ben and having to hide in a dumpster for long heartwrenching hours.

As she ended her story, she saw that he had fallen asleep. She laughed, her gaze tender, as she saw that he was drooling slightly. _Ah, Luke, you may now be a Jedi Master, but you are still Farmboy._ She thought as she wiped his face, an evil look coming across her face. _Oo you would kill me if you saw me do this._

Arielle got up softly, and then seeing that all the lights were off, save the courtesy lights in the hallway went straight to bed.

She noticed something as she did. _To get to Luke's room I have to pass Han and Leia's. I wonder if that was on purpose._ She suspected that it was. Leia was definitely the inquisitive and…well… nosy type.

As she thought of this, she was tempted to wave at their door to say, see I am going back. No sleeping in his room. Not that anything could have happened even if she had stayed, Luke was too sick. Arielle mentally slapped herself for even letting her thoughts go in that direction.

Arielle went inside her room, and fell asleep right away. She awoke at her usual early waking time just to tell herself that she could afford to sleep late today. But she was awakened half an hour later by what sounded like a bunch of Bantha running. "MY turn." She heard someone squeal.

"No fair, Jaya, you got it first yesterday."

"I am the eldest Jasa, it is only fair."

"Both of you quiet, I am sure Arielle is trying to sleep." Leia said, her voice firm and sleepy.

Arielle chuckled and rubbed her eyes, she had a feeling she should get used to this, being woken at odd hours by rambunctious kids. _Especially if you and Luke get married._ Arielle frowned at her treacherous mind. But her mind pushes another image of Arielle playing with those kids and the kid, Jaya, calling her Auntie Ari.

Arielle tried to go back to sleep, but she just was not used to sleeping with noise in the hallway. So she got up and got dressed. "The bantha herd wake you?" Leia asked, when Arielle came into the kitchen area, as she offered Arielle a cup of Kaf. "Sorry about that." She said when Arielle nodded. "I will try to keep them quieter in the mornings."

"It is okay." Arielle said, but Leia did not hear her as she had to turn around and break up an argument over who get the red bowl.

"Where is Han." Arielle asked, as she sat down with Leia.

"Still sleeping. I swear, my husband could sleep through anything." Leia said, then she smiled. "No, we take turns sleeping in. There is no point in both of us getting up so early if we do not have to."

She turned to her kids, "Manners?"

"I am Jaina. I am the eldest." A small girl with deep brown eyes and messy long brown hair said sticking out her arm to Arielle."

"It is nice to meet you." Arielle said, solemnly.

"I am Jacen." The little boy said, giving Jaina a withering look, "She is only a bit older. We're twins."

"Anakin is five." Leia said.

"They are darling." Arielle said to Leia, once the kids turned their attention to breakfast again.

"They are a handful." Leia said, though the love in her eyes contradicted her harsh words.

"Let your uncle sleep a bit more." Leia warned the kids as they left the breakfast table. "No going into his room, no yelling. Let your brother sleep as well."

"Anakin is not asleep." Jacen said.

Leia started, there had been a pile of blankets in Anakin's room (the twins shared a room and Anakin's was connected with a connecting door) and she'd assumed he was sleeping. "Where is he, then." She asked.

"Don't know. He woke up real early." Jaina said.

Leia relaxed. "He is probably with Luke then. Let me go get him so he doesn't tire Luke out." She frowned. "Luke had better be sleeping."

Arielle followed Leia to Luke's room. Leia opened the door gently to find Anakin lying on Luke's belly with his thumb in his mouth. Leia giggled at the sight, a wistful look on her face. This is what Leia wanted, a close family. A family tied by the bonds of love and affection. But these moments were too few in her family. Leia pulled up a chair next to Luke.

Arielle sensed that she was intruding on a private moment. She quietly left Luke's room and went to watch the twins. Jacen and Jaina warmed to Arielle and pretty soon Arielle was playing sabertwist with them. A little while later Han came in. "Good morning." He greeted her with a smile. He lifted the lid off of one of the food processors. "Good, Chewie isn't up yet, otherwise there would be nothing left."

"Leia with Luke?" Han asked, as he sat on the table with his food.

"Yeah." Arielle said.

Han counted the kids. "Where is the little one."

"Leia and Luke." Arielle said.

"Good, one less bantha to watch." Han said, joining the fray lifting Jacen up and tickling him, and giving Jaina a piggy-back as she jumped on his back.

Arielle just watched as Han swung Jacen around, until she felt something tugging on her pants. "Spin me." Jaina demanded.

Arielle spun Jaina lightly. "More." Jaina demanded.

"Nope, you just ate." Arielle said, having learned the pain of spinning too much when you are young the hard way. Plus, she observed Han having the same conversation with a pouting Jacen.

Jaina pouted until Arielle said. "But I will read you a story if you want."

"The Tauntaun on Hoth." Jaina demanded.

Arielle vaguely remembered it. "Make it up if you don't know it." Han mouthed to her.

Arielle was surprised as to how well she remembered the story. "There was a little said tauntaun." She began.

Arielle noted that Jacen came and cuddled up to her as she said the story.

Leia came out of Luke's room carrying Anakin just before the story ended. "Bathtime." She said, after Arielle had finished.

Jaina pouted, but Leia lifted an eyebrow and Jaina stopped. "I am turning the water on, and I expect both of you to be in the tub by time it is full." Leia said.

"What about Anakin." Jaina asked sulkily.

"He will get a bath once the two of you are done. You kids are getting bigger and the tub isn't." Leia said.

Leia went into the bathroom. "I would go if I were you." Han advised the twins who had not moved.

Grumbling they went into their room which connected to the bathroom. In just a few minutes they heard loud conversation. "Ah bathtime with the twins." Han said. "You'll get used to it, or else they'll grow out of it or so I am told."

Han's voice was mild, but Arielle could tell he was probing her. "Yeah, well my experience with kids is little, so I guess I will just have to take your word on it."

Han's lips quirked. "Something tells me, you will get a lot of experience in the near future."

"Always teaching us new things life is." Arielle said, quoting Master Yoda, and side stepping the obvious reference. "Experiences are what makes life life."

"Point." Han said, he was starting to enjoy this. He could tell that Arielle was adept at dodging questions, just like her father, and as Han knew all too well old man Kenobi was an expert at dodging questions. "So, what has life taught you?"

"How to dodge questions." Arielle said, laughing a little. "What about yourself."

"That no one is better than Kenobis at dodging unwanted questions… at least until they get so annoyed at being asked all the time."

"So, what is this burning question that you must have answered." Arielle decided to risk.

Han looked surprised, he had expected Arielle to stonewall more. He thought carefully. He was going to make this question count. "How well do you know Luke."

"Very well." Arielle said, "We practically grew up together on Tatooine. We had the same group of friends who all spent all of our free time together."

"But then you left." Han said.

"Tell me a little about yourself." Arielle said, not so subtly drawing the line. This was all she was going to discuss about this issue.

"Well, was sitting in a bar on Mos Eisley trying to figure out how I was going to pay back Jabba the Hutt when my first mate, Chewbacca, tells me that some guy wants to hire _the Falcon_. This job takes me to the death star where I meet a gorgeous princess, Leia. Before I know it, I am respectable, married, and have 3 kids." Han said, realizing that he would have to give her something as well.

"How do you find that." Arielle asked.

"Ah, my turn." Han said, putting up a finger.

Arielle internally grimaced, _here it comes_. "Did you ever feel jealous of Luke." Han surprised Arielle by asking.

"What." Arielle yelped, almost rising out of her chair.

"Honesty, please." Han said, his eyes serious for a brief moment. "Come on, your father puts you guys in a crummy spot on a crummy planet so he can watch Luke. From what I gather he must have spent a lot of time looking after Luke. Your father wasn't the fun loving guy you heard about because of Luke's father. That had to be hard."

Arielle shook her head, _I knew I was going to regret getting involved in this game. But I did, now I have to take the consequences._ But as she thought about it, it really was not that bad. "Yes," she kinda surprised herself by saying, "when I was really young, before I got to know Luke I was very jealous of him. It, do NOT ever tell him this, turned into pity as I gleaned and coaxed some of the story from my father. Then it turned into friendship and then love. As I got to know Luke" Arielle decided to emphasize this, she had figured out how protective Han was of Luke and wanted to make it clear that she loved Luke and the pity and jealousy were things of the past, "I realized that he was worth it. He was worth the Jundland wastes. It was not his fault Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, in fact he is the reason Anakin destroyed Vader. Yes, I know about that. Luke is one of the most amazing people I know, and I am and have been in awe of him. But don't tell him that either, he does not need a big head."

Han laughed. He could tell from the quirk of her smile that she knew there was no chance of that.

"Now I get a heavy question. Do you ever get angry at being in Leia's shadow in the public eye. Playing the role of the consort?"

"That is a heavy question." Han said. "Do I regret marrying Leia? Absolutely not. Do I get annoyed at being labeled the consort all the time, yup, definitely. Angry? Nah, not really. People usually don't say it to my face, and why do I care what others think. If someone accuses me of freeloading I-"

"Han." Leia yelled. "Watch Jacen and Jaina while I bathe Anakin, they are getting antsy and I don't want them getting dirty just yet."

"Just a moment." Han yelled back. "remind them of my service during the rebellion." Han finished, and then got up. "I guess that ends our little game for now."

"I guess it does." Arielle said. "Would you like some help?"

"Nah." Han said. "Hey, later, if you would like I can show you around Coruscant. Probably want to do it while the holo reporters are not following you."

"Didn't Leia say that she thought it would be better if we waited until after she'd officially introduced me."

"To go around really publicly, yeah, then the senators would feel snubbed for some odd reason. But there is nothing stopping us from going out incognito. Later the reporters will be following us so closely it will be close to impossible to chase them."

"Sounds great, if you don't have anything to do." Arielle said, she'd decided that a) she couldn't sit in Luke's room all day long, b) Han was the straightforward kind, so as long as she kept her wits she would not be answering any questions she did not want to.

"Eh, I'd like a chance to get out. The wook has some free time today, so he can watch the kids. Leia has a meeting in the evening." Han said.

"Han." Leia called.

"Gotta go." Han said, half jogging.

Arielle laughed. She sensed Luke was awake so she decided to go sit with him

"Hey." She said coming in. "Hungry?"

"Starving." Luke said.

"That's a good sign." Arielle said. "I'll go grab something."

"Oh, its okay, I'll ask 3PO." Luke said.

Ariellle sighed, today was not her day to avoid questions she did not want to answer. She knew why Luke was acting that way. Arielle smirked internally. She knew how to divert Luke's attention. "So, I met your brother-in-law. You have a nice family here."

Luke's facial expression got soft . "Yeah." He said, wistfully.

Arielle knew that Luke would want her to get along with her brother-in-law and family. "Han is taking me around Coruscant later."

'I wish I could come. Han knows some of the greatest places in Coruscant."

"Soon. Then you can take me around." Arielle said.

"Are you sure you won't leave."

Arielle sighed noisily. "You want to do this now?" Arielle said, her voice starting to rise. "You want to hear it. First of all, Luke, I love you more than life itself. As for me leaving-" The door easing open stopped Arielle. Five-year old Anakin stood in the doorway sparkling clean, dressed in a yellow shirt and white pants. "Lukie?" He asked tentatively.

Luke turned all of his attention to his nephew. Arielle used the opportunity to leave. "Thanks." Arielle said to Han, who was standing outside the door.

Han shrugged. "The kid can be pig-headed sometimes, not unlike you. I just figured that you had a good reason for holdin' off. Shall we set off?"

"What about Luke? The kids?"

"Jacen and Jaina's tutor is here, a reason Leia was rushing their baths. Anakin will be fine with Luke. Leia is doing some work and then she would like to pend some time with Luke. We are covered."

Arielle smiled. "Well then, Captain Solo, I will be dressed in fifteen minutes."

Han gave a patented eye-roll. "I will get a hovercar."

Arielle dressed in a flowered dress she had gotten on Bogo Yaven, and a sash to cover her hair, which, she hoped, would make it easier to blend in the crowd.

Arielle waved goodbye to Leia on her way out.

"Anakin, C3PO is waiting for you." Leia said, seeing that Anakin and Luke were still playing.

"So," Luke said.

"So." Leia asked, teasing her brother.

""Leia!" Luke said, rolling his eyes. "What are you doing about Ari's introduction?"

"I have called a special session of the senate in two weeks, I am hoping you will be able to walk by then. Arielle will introduce herself as Arielle Kenobi, daughter of General Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi. We will announce the documents she has brought with her. I have started to prep her for the grilling."

"So has she told you why she had to leave."

Leia sighed. "Why does it matter?"

"Huh?"

"Why does it matter?"  
"Of course it matters! I deserve to know."

"Luke, it is obvious that Arielle loves you and you love her. It is obvious that Arielle did not want to leave you. She even tried to convince her father to tell you about… our father. I had to accept this with Han, there are many parts of his past he does not talk about. When we first fell in love… I didn't know if he even loved me. This kept me from accepting his love, the uncertainty. It was at Bespin, and on the way there that I realized it doesn't matter. All that matters is our love."

Luke was quiet, but Leia saw that he was absorbing it.

"Thanks." Luke said, a few minutes later.

"Anytime, little brother." Leia said, patting his shoulder. "Time for a healing trance."

Leia helped ease him into a healing trance, smiling as she felt how close her brother was to healing.

"How was Coruscant?" Leia asked Arielle at dinner.

"Wonderful." Arielle said.

"Where's the kid?" Han asked, Luke had been insisting that they wheel him to the table during dinner.

"Healing trance." Leia said. "I'll ease him out soon, but I think he is getting sick of bed rest and so wants to get better fast."

Arielle got a whiff of amusement and mischief from Leia, but she didn't pursue it.

"Mommy!" Anakin said, his voice scared, running in.

"What is it, love?" Leia asked, concerned.

"Something is wrong with Luke, he isn't responding."

The adults at the table relaxed. "It is okay, love. He is in a healing trance so he wil get better."

"Oh." Anakin said, his sense lightening.

Arielle really wanted to know what the Skywalker twins were up to. Luke spent most of the next two days in a healing trance, and Leia spent most of that time out. When Arielle finally asked Han, Han responded, unhelpfully, with a "you probably don't want to know."

"What if I want to?"  
"Trust me, Skywalker plots… you are better off not knowing."

On the third day, Arielle was woken up by two sets of small hands poking her. She woke up to find two sets of earnest brown eyes looking at her. She looked for the third, and found the set of blue eyes was not far behind "Do you love Lukie?" Jaya asked, obviously using

Anakin's term of endearment for Luke.

Arielle blushed, and then thought about how ridiculous it was to blush at the words of four and seven-year olds.

"Yes." She said, honestly.

"No leaving and hurting him?" Anakin asked.

Arielle had a fleeting though that Leia had sent her kids to interrogate her, but then she dismissed that thought.

"I will do my best not to." Arielle said.

The next thing she knew, three children clambered around her.

She appreciated their warmth, especially as Leia came in, dressed in her official robes of state. "There you are."

"I am in my room," Arielle thought, "where else would I be at 0600 hours?"

"Well, we should start prepping for your introduction at 1400."

Arielle sat up. "I thought I had at least a week."

Arielle sensed Leia's slight smirk, "Oh sorry, I didn't tell you. The holoreporters are having a field day with your story, so I figured it was in all of our best interest to do the introductions now."

Arielle started to get nervous.

"No, Ari. In all honesty, I figured that you were prepared enough and telling you too much in advance would just make you nervous."

Arielle was skeptical, she did not know if she would ever be prepared for the grilling she was sure the inner council would deliver, but she decided to trust Leia's experience in this arena.

"All right, children," Leia said, picking up her three kids, "Papa is waiting, hang out with him for the day, all right?"

"I guess." The three chorused, with wide smiles on their face.

Leia kept Arielle so busy that Arielle never had time to even see Luke before Leia herded into a hovercar. "You will be fine." Leia said, stopping outside the inner council chambers and smoothing down Arielle's outfit. "The herald will call you in."

Leia gave Arielle a last smile before heading inside.

Arielle did Jedi calming exercises while waiting. Though it was only five standard minutes, it felt like an hour to Arielle before the twi'lek herald ushered her inside. "Jedi Knight Arielle Kenobi."

"Thank you to Chief of State Organa Solo, Minister of State Bel Iblis, and this august body for taking the time to meet with me. My father, General Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, asked me to safeguard training records and other Jedi materiel."

Arielle was satisfied at the chattering that this statement brought. Arielle looked surreptitiously to Leia and saw a soft smile on her face that indicated that she was also happy at the outcome.

Unfortunately, the awe did not last. "Councilor Fey'la." Leia said, reluctantly, which told Arielle that this Bothan councilor would be trouble.

"Knight Kenobi, if we assume for the moment that you are who you say you are, what are your intentions with Master Skywalker?"  
"Master Skywalker and I have been friends for many years."

"Friends?"

"We have considered dating in the past."

"And it is just a coincidence that you came when he was single? When he was about to resurrect the Jedi order."

"Is there a question councilor?" Leia asked, a little snap in her voice.

But before Fey'la could rephrase his question, Arielle began to feel a presence at the edge of her senses. "Forgive me, madam chief of state, councilors. But I felt since most of the questions to Arielle were about me, I should be present." Luke said, appearing dressed in a black flightsuit with a Jedi cloak and a green lightsaber hanging conspicuously from a utility belt.

"Since this involves your brother, Chief of State Organa, I request that you recuse yourself."

Leia rolled her eyes mentally. Arielle sensed this and had to work hard not to smirk. Leia still put Fey'la motion to a vote, only Fey'la's factions and a handful of anti-Jedi councilors voted for her removal.

Arielle felt that Luke's entry was perfectly timed and it turned the tide of the questioning, so most of the questions were soft-balls directed at Luke. Plus, the entire hearing took just another hour.

Arielle followed Luke's example, and stayed in the hall smiling at all the councilors. "How are you feeling." Arielle asked, once the hall was cleared of everyone but her, Leia, and Luke.

"All better, thanks to the patented Jedi healing trances." Luke said.

He surprised Arielle by walking over and taking her hands in his. "Well, I was wondering if you would like to go out for dinner and a night in Coruscant with me." Luke asked.

"I would love to." Arielle said, her heart elating at the idea.

Leia smiled at them. "Have fun, kids."

But Leia stayed for a few minutes, until Luke turned to his sister and said, "thanks."

She rolled her eyes visibly this time before leaving.

"So where are we going?" Arielle asked.

Luke just smiled mysteriously. He escorted Arielle to a waiting hovercar. Again, Ariele followed Luke's example and ignored the holoreporters except to give them a polite smile.

Arielle was glad that she had dressed well for the hearing once they reached their destination, a revolving restaurant. Arielle gasped in awe as she and Luke watched the lights on the restaurant turn on from the car. "That's so pretty." Arielle said.

Luke smiled and gestured to the left of the restaurant. "See how the yellow lights of the restaurant reflect onto the water."

Luke and Arielle stayed their watching the lights for a few minutes. "We had better go or we will lose our reservations. Jedi Master or not, I don't have the patience to wait for an hour for another table."

Arielle chuckled politely and followed Luke into the restaurant. Seeing Luke enter, a human maitre de met them at the door. "Master Skywalker, Knight Kenobi, thank you for picking our restaurant."

"Thank you." Luke said, quietly.

The maitre de personally led them via the backstairs to a private room at the very top of the restaurant. "Oh wow." Arielle said, looking at the view once the maitre de had left.

Luke smiled softly. "I knew you would like it. The water is just so gorgeous."

_Typical Tatooinian._ Arielle thought to herself.

"Arielle. I am going to get to the point. I love you. I love you more than air, and though there have been many moments at which I was thoroughly angry at you for leaving and at other times angry for not telling me about father, I have always loved you." Luke said. "Leia berated me for pressing you to tell me why you left. I pouted and thought about it and realized what she said was correct. I love you, you love me. You did not leave because you had a choice. I may never accept why you left, but I accept that we need to get beyond that."

"I love you too." Arielle said, reaching out and covering Luke's hands. "I did not have a choice and I came back as soon as I could."

Arielle and Luke stayed talking for two hours. "I know you are probably tired, but would you be up for meeting my friends?"

"I would love to." Arielle said.

Luke smiled. He picked up his comm.. "We'll meet you at Wedge's in half an hour."

Luke got up and made to leave, at Arielle's questioning look he said "They'll bill me. It makes it easier for both parties. The only thing we leave here is tip." Luke gestured to the credits he had left on his table.

Luke and Arielle kissed deeply in the hovercar just before they reached Wedge's apartments. "I think you will like Wedge and Lando. Lando and Han have a weird friendship. Han feels that Lando flirts too much with Leia. Lando is a flirt, don't think too much of it. Wedge is half-dating Iella, and Lando is Lando. They are all very free and friendly people. Everyone else there you have met."

Arielle was half-surprised to see Jaina, Anakin, and Jacen running around. She attributed that to this group of friends being very close. She hadn't really heard of adult friends meeting with children there, especially when the parents can afford droid babysitters or nannies.

"I am glad to meet a beautiful woman such as yourself." A darkskinned man said, coming to her and bowing deeply.

Arielle smiled internally, "Lando Calrissian, I presume."

"Who else would flirt with someone else's date." Han said, sidling up and giving the other man a sour look.

"Who was flirting?" Lando said, smiling to show off his pearly white teeth. "I was being friendly."

"Lando, this is Ari, Arielle Kenobi. Ari, Lando." Luke said, deciding to cut this short.

"Madam Kenobi, this is General Wedge Antilles, commander of the unbeatable Rogue Squadron." Lando said, highlighting a man next to him, "it is his apartment we will be tearing to pieces tonight."

Arielle smiled, Lando's smile and nature was infectious. "It is a pleasure to meet you, General Calrissian."

"The pleasure is all mine."

"A pleasure to meet you, Madam Kenobi."

"You as well, General Antilles."

Leia and Han hugged Arielle.

"Lady Kenobi, pick your poison." Wedge asked, as he carried a glass of Alderaanian Ale to Leia, and Corellian brandy to Han.

"I will stick with the fizzy juice." Arielle said, scrutinizing the drinks Wedge had.

Wedge raised an eyebrow, but served the fizzy juice.

Leia was so good at it that it took twenty minutes for Arielle to realize that Leia had drawn Luke and Ari into separate conversations. Ari actually found herself grateful for this as it allowed her to get to know Luke's friends in a way she would not have if she had stuck by Luke's side.

Ari looked up to make sure that Luke did not mind that she was deep in conversation with Wedge and Lando. The site made her giggle- Luke was sitting in conversation with Han, with the three Solo kids plastered to his side.

It was rather late when Arielle, Luke, and the Solos (each carrying one of the Solo kids) finally stumbled back into the apartment. Arielle barely had the energy to say good night to Luke.

The next day when Arielle finally woke up, in time for the afternoon meal, Luke said, "Good morning, sleepy head."

"Good morning, Wormie." Arielle said, calling Luke by his Tatooinian nickname.

"Wormie." Han pounced, coming in.

Luke winced, and glared at Ari.

"Where did the kid get a name like Wormie?"

"My lips are sealed." Arielle said, making it worse.

"Anyways, Ari, you must have made a real impression last night because Lando decided to outdo Wedge and is throwing a party at his place tonight. Want to go?"  
"Sure." Arielle said, pleased at getting a chance to spend more time with Luke's friends.

"Unfortunately, I am going to have to leave you for most of the day as I have some chores that I must do."

"Oh." Ari said, trying to stifle disappointment. _Get over yourself. Of course he has work to do!_

"Leia was wondering if you would be willing to baby-sit. She didn't want to ask you herself because she did not want you to feel obligated."

"I would love to." Arielle said, sincerely.

"See, I would have been shameless and asked you, which is why she preempted me by getting Luke to ask." Han said, coming in with kaffe. "I have to go fix up _The Falcon, _she is acting up again."

Han sat with the couple for two minutes, called. "Solo terrors, be good for Arielle or else!" and then left.  
Luke left as soon as he could, he did not want Arielle sensing anything off of him.

Luke meandered into the Jewelers, "Hello, Master Skywalker." The receptionist droid said, respectfully.

"Hello. I was wondering if you had any rings with a Tatooinian glass heart synthesized red, with five simulated Alderaanian riverstone around it."

"For you, Jedi Skywalker," a tall blueskinned human woman said, coming out from a backroom, "I can have it ready in three hours. Forgive me the intrusion, but is it for Knight Kenobi."

Before Luke could answer, the woman hurriedly said, "I only ask because then I can use holo technology to make sure the ring fits perfectly."

Luke smiled gently. "Yes it is, and I would appreciate that greatly."

The human bowed. "Then please excuse me so I can get it ready."  
"How much will the total cost be?"  
"Master Skywalker, it would be my pleasure." Luke saw that the woman had understood the symbolism behind the ring.

When she saw that Luke was about to protest she said, "the advertisement and publicity will be recompense enough."  
Luke knew when he would not win a battle so he just bowed deeply and said, "I am indebted Mistress-"

"Tierouni."

Luke started, "Alderaanian?"

Alena Tierouni smiled sadly. "It will be my pleasure to make a ring for the brother of my princess."

Luke bowed deeply, which Alena returned with a curtsey.

Luke was simultaneously glad he had chosen this small jewelers shop for Ari's ring and that he had chosen relatively inexpensive gems.

Though Alderaanian riverstones were among some of the finest gems in the galaxy and the easiest, thankfully, to simulate, the wounds caused by Alderaan's destruction were too raw and few people wanted a reminder on their jewelry.

Luke, and he knew Leia, felt the jewel and Alderaanian crafts were a reminder of the greatness of Alderaan's legacy to this galaxy. It was a reminder of peaceful times.

Luke then actually went to work. He began cataloguing the information that Arielle had brought with her about Jedi practices, training techniques, and how many Jedi hid from the purges.

From the information Luke surmised that Ben had been in the middle of hiding the Jedi. He had been the central point of information for Jedi in hiding. This made his information extremely valuable. It would have taken Luke decades to piece all of this information together on his own.

He was so engrossed in his work that it took a call from Leia to jolt him out of his mindset. "Luke, you are proposing to someone tonight. Please tell me that you have picked up the ring and are cleaning up for tonight? I have picked up appropriate refreshments."

Luke groaned, he knew he should not have told Leia about his plan to propose to Arielle. Leia was taking it way too far.

"Lei, do we really need 'appropriate refreshments."

"You just worry about your end of stuff, Luke Skywalker." Leia snapped.

Luke rolled his eyes, he could just hope that Han could pare down Leia's plans.

Luke went back to Madam Tierouni's shop. "Wow, it is gorgeous. Thank you, mistress Tierouni." Luke said, turning the gold ring, with the sparkling gems in his fingers.

The petite woman smiled, her sense and face exuding gratitude. "It is the gems, the Alderaanian riverstones… even these simulated jewels exude brilliance."

"And wonderful craftsmanship." Luke said, still in awe as to how perfectly the ring turned out.

Tierouni bowed Luke from his shop as more customers came in.

Luke quickly ran to the apartment, the Solos and Arielle had already gone to Lando's apartment. He cleaned up quickly and then ran to Lando's apartment.

"Sorry I am late." Luke said, hugging Arielle. "Got caught up in those files you brought."

Arielle smirked. "Maybe I should have given them to you one at a time."

"Probably," Leia said, giving her brother a look.

Luke smiled and hugged his sister.

Lando served dinner with a great flair. Arielle started to sense anxiety from Luke as dinner began to draw to a close.

She gave him a puzzled look but he ignored it. He took a deep breath. He knelt on one knee. "Ari, I know we have reconnected only when-"

"when she rescued you" Lando heckled

"Yes, when she rescued me." Luke said. "But you and I know that we had been close for a long while before that. I feel like I have known you nearly all my life and I want that to be my lifetime. Oh why am I trying to speechmake? Arielle Kenobi, will you marry me. Will you join me in my quest and in my tasks, and let me join you in yours?"

Arielle's eyes watered as Luke offered her the ring. Arielle examined the ring before she put it on.

"Its beautiful." Arielle said.

"Wait, let me see that." Leia said, before Arielle and Luke completed the ceremony. "Alderaanian craftsmanship?"

Luke nodded. "that was a coincidence. I didn't realize the jeweler was Alderaanian til she told me her name."

Leia's eyes watered but then she determinedly said, "sorry, continue."

Han put an arm around his wife's shoulders, lending him her support.

Luke clasped Arielle's hand, he turned the ring around her finger in a symbolic ritual gesture.

"Engagement gifts." Leia announced, clapping her hands briefly to get people's attention.

Luke exchanged a look of studied patience with Han. Leia led them into the next room which was obviously set up by Leia. In the middle was a cake, surrounded by presents.

"For those of you who are wondering why an elaborate engagement party." Leia said, once everyone, including the Solo kids, had meandered over. "The answer is I am sure my brother, and soon-to-be sister-in-law are going to want a long engagement after my next announcement. I was able to procure funding for the trip Luke wanted to make to the outer rim regions to continue his Jedi search as well as funding for some building projects on Yavin. Sorry it took so long, Luke, but if you got all of the funding you requested quickly then there are those who would start to charge that I was unfairly expediting your requests."

Luke's expression told everyone in the room that this announcement made an awesome evening even better.

"Cake time." Han announced breaking up the moment.

"YAY!!" Jaina shouted, bouncing up and down in her purple pantsuit that Leia had allowed her to wear, so as to keep Jaina happy.

Jaina, Jacen, and even Anakin crowded around the cake, causing the adults to giggle. "Picture for the holovids." Leia announced. "Everyone else out of the picture, let's only give them the proud newly engaged couple."

Leia took a picture of Luke and Arielle cutting the cake. "All right, that's done." Leia said, briskly. "Luke, please begin handing out the cake and I'll check on Winter's shuttle."

Luke took that to mean Leia foresaw the evening getting inapprorpriate for the kiddies. Luke quickly glanced at Arielle's face and saw that she had had the same thought.

Luke handed each of the kids a piece first. "You are our favorite Uncle." Jaina said, as she got the first piece, with a lot of frosting.

Everyone in the room chuckled.

Luke half-shrugged at Leia, who looked slightly worried at the idea of the kids getting so much sugar so close to bedtime.

Luke handed the next piece to Arielle, which caused everyone to aww.

Then the fact that Leia got the next piece, and she gave Han a bite caused everyone to aww. "Enough awing already." Leia said, crossly.

She hugged Arielle and Luke. They all laughed at the silliness of it.

Leia and Han led Arielle and Luke to a seat at the head of the table. "Us first." Jaina announced for the kids.

"Sorry, kiddos. You got cake first, I am giving the first present." Lando announced, picking up his package from the top of the pile.

"Appropriate?" Leia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This one is. It is for the lady."

Arielle unwrapped a gorgeous necklace that had rain drips coming down from a central strand. It had an adjustable clasp so she could wear it tight around her neck or lower down. "thank you Lando. If this is your engagement present, I can't wait to see your wedding present."

Lando just laughed.

Wedge gave his present next. "Nothing as lavish as Lando, I am afraid."  
Luke and Arielle unwrapped a beautiful lamp. "Oh this is gorgeous, thank you." Arielle said.

"Thanks, Wedge."

"No problem, Boss."

Chewie chimed in next, giving the couple a repulsor chair that could collapse down so as to be easily portable.  
"Me next." Han said, when Leia was about to speak.

Leia raised her eyebrow, she thought that she was going to be giving their present.

Luke unwrapped Han's present and broke out laughing.

Leia gave her husband a stern look as Arielle bent down to read the note that was Han's present. This note certifies that Han Solo is now related to Arielle Kenobi. An honor that few would forego, Ms. Kenobi. Though you might want to forego it as it means you will be related to Luke Skywalker.

"What?" Han said, innocently. "Turn it over, kid."

This note certifies that Han Solo will give the newly engaged couple a ride in the unmatchable _Falcon _anytime between now and the wedding (assuming his wife, C.O.S. Leia Organa-Solo agrees.)

"Thanks, Han. We appreciate it." Luke said, a slight trace of sarcasm in his voice.

Everyone laughed.

"Here is our _actual _gift." Leia said.

She gave Luke and Arielle a wrapped package. Luke and Arielle opened it together. There were two sets of clothing in there. A black coat for Luke, and a white stylish sweatery cover for Arielle.

"When did you have time to make this?" Luke asked, astonished and amazed as to how his sister was able to multitask and squeeze so much into a short day.

"Oh, thank you." Arielle said, hugging her to-be sister-in-law.

"It is cold in the outer rim right now." Leia said, her eyes teary.

Luke knew she was thinking that the trip to other outer rim would separate her family for awhile so he responded to that comment by hugging his sister.

"Our turn." Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin chorused.

"For our beloved Uncle and a lady we are exc, excited to call our Aunt." Anakin said, importantly.

"We put this together, with only a little help from C3PO."

"Or do you mean hindrance." Han said, out of the corner of his mouth.

The children unveiled a beautiful holopicture that was obviously made by the three.

"Aww." Luke and Arielle said together. "thank you, all three of you."

Luke and Arielle hugged all the kids.

"All right, Winter will get you all to bed." Leia said, as she sensed the kids' nanny coming.

"Awww." The kids started whining.

"Daddy do we have to." Jaina whined.

"Lukie?" Anakin appealed.

But the adults stood firm. Luke gave the kids hugs good night and goodbye.

"So." Lando said, raising an eyebrow once the kids were out of the door. "Now the evening can start."

"Oh dear." Leia mutterd.

The adults dug out new presents.

"Guys, may I just say you guys have dirty minds…" Leia said, once the gifts were handed out.

Arielle knew that she should agree, but she had thought the gifts---tawdry underwear—were just funny.

"See what we are planning for the wedding." Lando said, grinning.

"especially as then Rogue Squadron can also contribute." Wedge added.

At this, Arielle, Luke, and Leia's faces dropped. "No gifts rule?" Arielle murmured.

"Wouldn't help." Leia whispered back. "then the presents you want, won't come, and the Rogues will still bring their presents."

Arielle decided to put the worry about what the Rogues and Luke were planning out of her mind and enjoy a wonderful evening.

An hour later, Arielle began to think of Leia, she had to work early tomorrow. "Luke, maybe we should get going, doesn't Leia have to work early tomorrow."  
"I was just thinking the same thing, but we have to find a delicate way to do it. If Leia gets the impression that we are doing this for her she will resist. That's my sister for you."

"Luke, maybe you should rest." Han said, loudly.

Luke half-shrugged. "You are right." Leia said, her expression turning to worry. "Good night everyone, come on Luke, Arielle."

When Leia was not looking Han winked at Luke.

Luke snickered.

"We should go to the outer rim ASAP so we can know we can plan the wedding for." Luke murmured to Arielle as they walked into the apartment.

"Then I also want to see the Jedi Academy-"

"-where we will be spending the vast majority of our time." Luke finished. "Well, you are the lady with a ship large enough for both of us."

"The _Tattoinian Heart. _"

Luke and Arielle broke out laughing.

"Shh." Luke said. "If the kids wake up we are in trouble."

"You guys are putting them to sleep again then." Han said.

Luke walked on tippitoes into the apartment.

Though Luke and Arielle had decided to leave early, it was two weeks before Leia would let them leave.

"If I am not the first person you guys tell about the date of your wedding-" Leia left her threat unfinished.

"You will be." Arielle said, hugging her sister-in-law-to-be goodbye.

"The first of many adventures." Luke said to his fiancé as the blasted into space.

"Absolutely." Arielle said, hugging Luke.

Arielle gasped, causing Luke to turn.

Luke and Arielle saw Obi-Wan smiling at them.

"That's all I needed to make this perfect." Arielle said.

Luke could just hug Arielle in response, tears in his eyes.

_Finis, for now._


End file.
